Russellville city officials have proposed a retention pond as a possible solution to flooding in the True F. Smith subdivision. City Engineer and Public Works Director Michael Oakes said a retention pond provides the most feasible solution to drainage problems in the area.

Finding related to storm drainage in the True F. Smith subdivision were presented to alderman during a meeting Tuesday, at which Oakes and representatives from McClelland Consulting Engineers (MCE) were present.Initial studies in the area looked at expanding current drainage culverts.

Problems arose however, when those studies concluded that existing 4-foot box culverts would have to be expanded to widths of 12 to 35 feet throughout the drainage canal. Many of these culverts run through residential properties — Oakes said 40 or more residential properties would be affected by a project to expand culverts — and expanding them could engulf entire yards.

“Right here all of a sudden, we’re going to take and put in 12 feet and go blasting through all this beauty and the trees we’d have to go through and all that stuff,” Oakes told a reporter this week. “So immediately you go, ‘This is not a good idea.’ Then we looked at other locations as we went along. We looked at side yards where it needed to be 20 feet wide and the yard itself is probably not much more than 20 feet wide, so somebody’s entire back yard would be converted into a drainage ditch.“We just made the decision, ‘We’ve got to find an alternative.’”

The crossing of the Union Pacific Railroad also provided a challenge — such a feat would be cost prohibitive.

The proposed alternate solution is a retention pond within the subdivision itself.

According to MCE, the pond would have a capacity of around 3 million gallons and would cover an area of around one-and-a-half acres. Oakes said two homes would have to be purchased by the city to accommodate the pond.In addition to facilitating drainage, Oakes said an added benefit of the pond would be aesthetics. The pond would retain a small amount of water year-round, leaving most of the capacity available for storm runoff. The pond would have fountains and the surrounding area would be landscaped, with room for a trail and benches around the edge of the pond.

The next step, Oakes said, is a neighborhood meeting with area property owners. If that meeting goes well, the city might decide to move forward on the project. Also factoring into the decision will be a geological analysis of the proposed site, which will provide insight into the cost for the project.